From the profound to the perverse, the bonds between man and beast are
captured in Jayanti Seiler's pictures

Two years ago, Jayanti Seiler, 36, photographed birds of prey at a rescue centre near her home in Florida. Struck by the altruism of the carers, she widened her project to include other human interactions with animals. Between classes at the local university where she teaches photography, she visited companies selling animal encounters, people keeping wild animals as pets, travelling safaris and sanctuaries. Each time, Seiler (who owns three cats of her own – "domestic", she hastens to add) was taken aback by the depth of the relationship between human and animal.

A 'rehabilitator' at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey (JAYANTI SEILER)

Only once during the project has she been frightened, by the story of a couple who kept two cougars and a caged lion. The wife returned one day to find the cage door ajar, her husband dead. "This story stuck with me," says Seiler. "These animals demand respect. You only get one mistake with them."